Councilor calls for probe of budget losses

Councilor calls for probe of budget losses

JAKARTA (JP): A city councilor urged the city administration
on Tuesday to investigate losses that could amount to more than
Rp 2 billion (US$266,666) for the first eight months of this
fiscal year from the funds allocated for the maintenance of
official vehicles.

M. Asyraf Ali, a member of the Golkar faction, said the huge
losses from the department's routine expenditure budget were
caused by a 75 percent discrepancy between the recorded number of
vehicles and the number budgeted for.

Asyraf said that such a practice was ridiculous because the
city was under pressure to cut all expenditure, especially on
account of the crisis.

"The administration should investigate this as soon as
possible because this kind of corruption has wasted the budget,"
he said.

According to data from the city supplies office, the number of
city administration official vehicles is 3,873, consisting of
1.791 four-wheeled vehicles and 2,082 motorcycles. These figures
were compiled from vehicle ownership documents.

In the 1998/1999 city budget, however, routine expenditure for
the official vehicles' maintenance is projected to be Rp 4.82
billion for 6,797 vehicles -- 3,582 four-wheeled vehicles and
3,215 motorcycles.

Based on Gubernatorial Decree No. 198/1998 on the guidelines
for the allocation of official vehicles' fuel, motorcycles are
allocated five liters a day, sedans and vans eight liters, small
trucks 25 liters and large trucks 40 to 55 liters.

For maintenance small motorcycle are allocated of Rp 12,500 a
month, while the budgets for larger and Harley Davidson
motorcycles are Rp 24,500 and Rp 86,850 respectively.

For the maintenance of sedans and vans, the city allocates Rp
40,750 a month, Rp 67,450 for a small truck and Rp 148,000 for a
big truck.

The money allocated for the "extra" vehicles between April and
November totals more than Rp 2 billion.

Fauzi Alvi Yasin, the administrative assistant to the city
secretary, admitted on Tuesday that there was a difference in the
number of vehicles in the records and in the budget.

"We are now trying to put the matter in order," he said.

But he refused to say that the difference had resulted in
financial losses. "It is not a loss of money, but only unrecorded
city assets. That's why we will soon compile data on the
vehicles," he said.

Fauzi said that the difference might have occurred because the
correct total number of vehicles had not been recorded by the
supplies office.

Asked whether the additional vehicles no longer belonged to
the city but were still included in the budget, Fauzi said: "We
are still investigating. So far all the budget's allocations are
based on proposals from the (relevant) city units."

However, Asyraf said the fact that the budget allocation for
vehicle maintenance was much larger than what was needed proved
there were losses.

He urged the governor to take punitive action if it is found
that city officials manipulated the data for their own benefit.
(ind)